Spending time among trees is one vital way to do that. From pumping out oxygen to creating jobs, forests are essential for good health, improve our well-being and are a vital source of livelihood worldwide.
‘Forest bathing’ as the Japanese refer to it, reduces the stress hormone cortisol, making us feel calm and relaxed. And research has shown that those woodland visits have saved the NHS £185m each year in mental health treatment. But is it possible to bring some of the well-being properties of woodland to the property sector?
The woodland house price premium
Given all its benefits, it's perhaps little wonder that people in the UK are prepared to pay a price premium for homes closer to such beneficial woodland.
New research for the LRG Good Woods report reveals that house prices across England and Wales are on average 6% higher in value thanks to their proximity to woodland. And it reaches even higher than that in key areas: premiums of more than 15% were recorded in 12 local authority districts, including Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; County Durham; and North East Lincolnshire.
The report figures confirm the common belief that homebuyers have developed a preference for green spaces and nature which has only increased since the start of the Covid. Importantly, the research also shows that the price premium has increased 2.4% since March 2020. Clearly, this demand has been boosted by the pandemic and is only going to continue to grow.
Finding that woodland home is harder than you think
However, the majority of residents, homeowners and tenants alike, don’t have easy access to woodland or forests. The report also shows that only half of households in England and Wales have access to a wood of at least two hectares within 500m of their home.
The UK is one of the least-forested countries in Europe. According to the Woodland Trust, UK tree cover is well below the EU average, at 13% of land cover compared with 37%. Likewise, a study by the New Economics Foundation found that access to nature decreased in the last century: the median size of the nearest green space to developments built after the year 2000 is 40% smaller than equivalent space near developments built in the 1930s.
Already this is set to change, both in response to changing attitudes towards wellbeing and nature and also as a result of the recent Environment Act, which requires a minimum 10% biodiversity net gain on new developments from autumn 2023.
Amid this backdrop, the clear preference from homeowners for woodland locations should be regarded as a call for action. Planners, developers and estate agents alike must consider the consumer demand for woodland and wellbeing as they comprehend the complex impact of the pandemic and the way in which it will shape our lives for years to come.
The 15-minute neighbourhood
In order to bring homes and workspaces closer to the beneficial woodland, town planners and developers should consider the ‘15-minute neighbourhood’.
A concept founded at the Sorbonne, it does what it says on the tin – every facility a citizen would need to access is a 15-minute or less walk, cycle or public transport ride from their front door.
Such areas are already popular in the Netherlands, and in a few years, we could see a major world city transformed. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo is aiming to develop a 15-minute city, where most people's daily needs are a short walk, cycle ride or public transport commute away.”
Close proximity to green areas for recreation and leisure can ensure that any residential development – urban or rural – can benefit wellbeing. So, not only would this make life easier, more restful and encourage activity, but it also has the potential to reduce carbon emissions, with less time spent in cars. And, of course, it has the potential to support wellbeing, community cohesion and better access to nature.
Greening the city
There are even small steps that developers and local authorities can take today to boost the well-being of their towns and cities. Urban greening can also help to transform city areas into environments that benefit people and nature.
Alongside ideas such as the 15-minute neighbourhood, and reforesting the nation, bringing pockets of green to our urban locations restores the natural world and brings residents closer to nature. Across the UK, 70% of councils have deliberately stopped mowing to rewild green areas and encourage wildflower meadows, and more than 1,000 community gardens have popped up bringing nature to former car parks, pavements and alleyways.
Bringing our homes closer to woodland
Forestry England predicts that by 2050, almost 70% of the population will live in urban areas. Our social landscape is changing rapidly, and while city dwellers will always be able to escape the hustle for the serenity of the forest, we also need to bring the forest to them.
Homes of the future need to be surrounded by clean and green woodland. Therefore developers and town planners must review their models for new homes. It’s time to plan the future 15-minute neighbourhoods in UK towns and invest in land close to woodland to allow residents access to much-needed woodland and the vital health benefits it brings.
